Thomas dating guide.
Home organs with an Italian accent — the Moog Satellite connection and the Vox factory link.
Thomas is the home-organ brand with the most interesting crossover story: the late-1960s CDX-0652 combo organ came with an on-board Moog Satellite, built together with Cordovox — and its Italian maker EME was the very factory that built most Italian Vox organs (Super Continental, Continental Baroque). Documentation runs through owner's manuals at the Raymon Brothers service center. Careful online: thomasorgan.com today is a parked domain unrelated to the company.
No model-by-model serial tables
Thomas never published serial charts — and no verifiable community table exists. This page is a working dating guide: era markers, plate location and component date codes. The general dating guide covers the component-code route.
Where the serial number lives
- Plate location is not documented in public sources we could verify — check the keydesk underside.
Era markers
| Era | Years | What it means on the instrument |
|---|---|---|
| Combo era | late 1960s | CDX-0652 with on-board Moog Satellite (Thomas "Synthi 1055"); EME, Italy — the factory behind most Italian Vox organs |
Model catalogue
18 documented models — 18 with published production years (observed 2026-10-12). Years are catalogue-derived; models without published years are listed as placeholders.
| Model | Years | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas 'Talking Organ' (built-in phonograph) | 1956–1960 | Spinet | single-manual early model with dial stops and a built-in record player sold as the 'Built-In Teacher' |
| Thomas Organ Company (re-founded by Thomas George) | 1956–1979 | Company | electronic organ developed by Thomas George, reorganised in 1956 with Joe Benaron; HQ Sepulveda, California; owned by Pacific Mercury, then Warwick Electronics (1963), then Whirlpool-controlled Warwick (1966) |
| Thomas Californian (Model 261/262/263) | 1960–1965 | Spinet | early-1960s model series documented on collector listings |
| Thomas organs in Heathkit kit form | 1960–1975 | Kit | Heathkit (Michigan) sold several smaller Thomas models as build-it-yourself kits |
| Thomas organs for Sears under the Silvertone badge | 1960–1975 | Spinet | sold through Sears, Roebuck & Co. as Silvertone |
| Thomas Concert Serenade | 1965– | Console | two 44-note manuals and 25 short pedals |
| Thomas VL-5 | 1965– | Spinet | spinet manuals with a 25-note pedalboard running under the bench like a console |
| Thomas Celebrity 800 | 1966– | Console | two 61-note manuals; 32-note flat 'Princess' pedalboard later revised to a standard 25-note board |
| Thomas Impresario | 1966– | Theatre console | theatre model with an AGO-conforming pedalboard |
| Thomas Lawrence Welk | 1968– | Console | two 44-note manuals, 25 short pedals; high-end model named for Welk in 1968 |
| Thomas Model 710 church organ | 1968– | Console | church organ with AGO-conforming pedalboard |
| Thomas Model 900 'Palace' | 1968– | Theatre console | three-manual theatre organ with AGO pedalboard |
| Thomas CDX-0652 | 1969– | Combo organ | two-manual combo organ with a grafted Moog Satellite; Thomas's Satellite version was the 'Synthi 1055'; both built by EME (Italy) |
| Thomas 371 Monticello | 1973– | Spinet | standard spinet with a built-in synthesiser in the upper manual (collector catalogue dates it 1973) |
| Thomas 871 Celebrity Royale | 1973– | Console | collector catalogue dates it 1973 |
| Thomas 1265 Cameo Supreme | 1974– | Console | collector catalogue dates it 1974 |
| Thomas 7181 Celebrity Royale | 1979– | Console | dated 1979, the year the company folded |
| Thomas Organ Company goes out of business | 1979– | Milestone | one of the first major organ companies to fold (1979); the Thomas name was reorganised again in 1997 with digital technology |
What it is worth
- Thomas consoles are low-value home organs; the combo-era instruments with Moog association attract synth collectors.
Frequently asked
Is thomasorgan.com the company site?
No — the original domain is gone; today it is a parked domain with no relation to Thomas organs.